Semenya Declines “Late Invitation’ to Run in Rabat Diamond League

Rabat – The organizer of the Diamond League 800 m has now invited Caster Semenya, an intersex South African Olympic champion, to race on Sunday in Rabat. Before inviting her, Morocco previously banned Semenya from running.

Semenya said on Thursday that Morocco denied her request to run in Morocco. The Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation banned her, without providing a reason.

Regardless, The Diamond League independently organized, meaning those in charge of the event are also in charge of the runners they invite.

Friday, the organizer of the Diamond League race, Alain Blondel, posted a statement on the event’s site saying:“After checking the situation of Caster Semenya in the light of the decisions of the Swiss Federal Court, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the head of the international athletics meeting in Rabat, Alain Blondel, is happy to confirm the invitation.”

“She received an invitation but is unable to organize her schedule to come to Rabat,” Blondel then said.

Her agent Jukka Harkonen said that the lateness of the invitation made it impossible for Semenya to travel to Rabat in time for the race because it was a journey of more than 20 hours from her home country South Africa.

“She’s not running,” he said. “She was invited today but that was too late.”